Mega Millions jackpot winners can stay anonymous in these states
Dreaming about winning that swelling $533 million Mega Millions prize? You may want to check your state laws before planning a spending spree if you'd hope to keep that win on the down-low.
Lottery winners of prizes past have learned, sometimes the hard way, the value of anonymity when coming into a large amount of money. Fears of robbery, greedy family and friends, scammers, mismanagement and unwanted attention are among the concerns that keep some big winners hesitant to go public. Lawmakers have noticed the dilemma in recent decades, resulting in a handful of states tweaking privacy laws.
Only so many allow full anonymity with no stipulations. Others require that players win a certain amount of money before protections kick in.
Before you allocate your dream winnings to vacations or shopping trips in your mind, check the list below to see if your identity would be safe in your state.
Mega Millions: See which states allow lottery winner anonymity
More than a dozen states let winners collect their prizes anonymously. In some places, like Delaware and Michigan, anyone who wins can remain anonymous. In others, such as Arizona or Virginia, it depends on the amount of money won.
Only 10 states, including Delaware, Kansas, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, North Dakota, South Carolina and Wyoming, grant true anonymity without stipulation.
States that allow some form of anonymity include:
- Arizona: Prize must be over $100,000.
- Arkansas: Prize must be over $500,000, and a winner is only anonymous for three years.
- Delaware: Any prize.
- Georgia: Prize must be over $250,000.
- Illinois: Prize must be over $250,000.
- Kansas: Any prize.
- Maryland: Any prize.
- Minnesota: Prize must be over $10,000.
- Mississippi: Any prize.
- Missouri: Any prize.
- Montana: Any prize.
- New Jersey: Any prize.
- North Dakota: Any prize.
- Oregon: Any prize.
- South Carolina: Any prize.
- Texas: Prize must be over $1 million.
- Virginia: Prize must be greater than $10 million.
- West Virginia: Prize must be over $1 million.
- Wyoming: Any prize.
When is the next Mega Millions drawing?
The next Mega Millions drawing is on Tuesday, March 10, at 11 p.m. ET.
How to play Mega Millions
To win Mega Millions, you must choose a total of six numbers and hope that the numbers drawn match the ones you chose.
When buying a ticket, you can choose your own numbers or ask the cashier for a "Quick Pick" or Easy Pick," where a computer randomly generates numbers for you. Once you have a ticket, pick six numbers. Five of the numbers will be white balls from 1-70. The gold Mega Balls range from 1-24.
As of April 2025, new Mega Millions tickets include a built-in multiplier, which increases non-jackpot prizes by two, three, four, five, or 10 times.
Previously, in some states, a multiplier, known as the Megaplier, was available for an extra dollar add-on. Likewise, the "Just the Jackpot" feature available in some states was retired.
Where to buy lottery tickets
Gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores sell lottery tickets. Some airport terminals may also sell lottery tickets.